Introduction:
I moved to Houston, Texas five months ago for an exciting new project: Rome Salon and Day Spa, a brand new Day Spa coming soon to Houston. With our opening date being delayed due to prolonged construction, I found myself needing to investigate, explore and find places to get my Spaiiing and the usual manicure/pedicure/hair color/grooming needs taken care of. After all I don't just work in this industry I use it, enjoy it and adore it. Unfortunately, my experiences over the past five months have left me dissatisfied with the quality of the services offered and the lack of customer care. I know that I'm just a little fish in a big pond. My being upset or not returning to a location because of a negative experience is not going to change the way they do business. However, this has helped me to be acutely aware of what the consumer feels hears and sees. There is nothing like spending your hard-earned money and experiencing things first-hand in order to realize that you have to work harder to create an excellent experience for each one of your customers, each and every time they visit you.
With that in mind and because I share as much as I can in this Blog to help Spa owners and operators, I'm going to share some of my experiences of the last five months. My intention is not to create negative publicity for my colleagues, this is why I'm not including the names of the locations. My goal is for you to see, hear and experience what I did so that you may go back to your Spa to make sure this is NOT how your staff is treating your valuable customers. One more thing, as a customer I expect great service every time. I expect to receive the full value of what I pay for. This means that the price point raises or lowers my expectations accordingly. I never tell the staff that I am a Spa owner or that I am even in the industry because I want to relax. In essence I am your average Spa-goer, the repeat client that spends money on retail and becomes very loyal if treated right.
(Price range definition: $ = $0 to $50; $$ = $51-$75; $$$ = $76-$100; $$$$ = $101-$200; $$$$$ = over $200 per single treatment)
The beginning:
I needed to update my hair color. I asked one of the PR ladies I've been working with (PR Boutique) for some recommendations (her hair color is perfect). She recommended her stylist and gave me his cell number. I called (he was very nice) and found a way to fit me in. Before we finished he told me that he needed to make sure the Front Desk put me in the book because "they are supposed to make the appointments". I apologized profusely and said that I would have called the Front Desk directly but that I was told to call him. He says "Yes, because they make so many mistakes, they don't know what they are doing, this way I make sure it is right." (Oh,oh) Fast forward one week...On the day of my appointment, I pulled up to a sign outside of the Day Spa that said customers must valet. It was raining and there was not a valet person in sight. I drove around, self-parked and walked to the entrance (soaking wet). I walked in to the Front Desk and guess who was chatting with the Front Desk Agent? Yes, the valet....I told him I parked and he says 'Why? you have to wait for me. No, no I have to park your car." I smiled and jokingly told him that I was not going back out in the rain and that if he wanted to park all the cars maybe he needed to be standing at the entrance. "Sorry you missed the chance" I said. He replied, "What do you want lady?, I'm entitled to my coffee break." He walked away shaking his head and muttering under his breath. I stood there and looked at the Front Desk Agent, expecting her to say something but instead she just looked at me. No greeting, nothing. I finally told her I had an appointment, she looked down at her computer and said "Name?" I gave her my information, she clicked on the computer (never looking up), raised her hand and pointed to a seating area and said, "Wait there".
The Day Spa is large. It is located in one of the nicest areas in Houston, River Oaks. The PR agency and others told me this is the number one place to go....I sat and waited, and waited, and waited. Twenty minutes after my appointment-time the stylist came to me and said "I'm so sorry. I've been waiting for you at my station, I had no idea you had already arrived, they never called me. They are such idiots." He proceeded to escort me to his station while telling me about all the issues and mistakes he deals with due to the inefficiencies of the Front Desk. As a consumer I felt uncomfortable, as a Spa professional I wondered how many times my staff might have a similar conversation with a client. So far, I felt as if the stylist and the Front Desk are at war, that the valet doesn't care about his job or his duties and that the Front Desk agent cares less. I thought perhaps I was being too critical; however, I know that at my Spa I wouldn't want any of these to be experienced by my customers.
The stylist did a great job with my color and cut, he was pleasant and you could tell he was a very good technician. The prices are on the $$$$ range. However, the level-of-service, attitudes, cleanliness and client care were never exhibited. Even thought I liked the end result for my hair, I will not go back, it was too much drama for me and pricier than what I want to spend every six weeks.
Let's try something else:
My assistant recommended a Spa for my next Pedicure/Manicure appointment. I originally thought it was just a Nail Salon because of the name. I went online to see what they offer, what the facilities look like, the prices, etc. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they offer Facials, Massages and Body Treatments. The website was done so well that I found myself wanting to take half-a-day off and book a Spa package. The pictures on the website are awesome, the prices a little higher on the Pedicures ($$$ range) than what I was hoping for but it all sounded so good that I thought I deserved it and I wanted to check it out.
I was really excited because this particular day spa was listed in the d'vine website as one of their locations (d'vine is a great skin care line that I have used in the past and you can only find it where it is used professionally). I called and asked the agent which facial listed on the menu is the one they do using d'vine and she says, "I'm sorry, what is d'vine?" I explained how I found them listed and that it is a skin care line.....Silence.......She said, "We do our facials with SkinCeuticals." I said, "But your website lists Decleor and Eminence also." She replied, "Oh no, that was when we first opened, now we only use SkinCeuticals". I think OK, never mind, back to plan A. They have so many selections that I'm not sure which one to pick. I started asking questions about the difference between the 'Coconut Milk Pedicure' and the 'Island Spa Pedicure' and the 'Caviar Manicure' and 'Rescue Manicure'. I could sense she was tired of dealing with all the questions and just wanted to get me off the phone, so she said "I'll just book you for a full hour each and the technician will go over all our options to help you decide which one you want" I liked her solution. I was curious and I booked my appointment.
I arrived and found out they have been opened for six years. I ask the Front Desk agent why are they still showing all those skin care lines as treatment options on the website and she said, "Oh, the website is from when we opened, it only gets updated once a year." I ask her about a tour, she looks up (she was sitting) with shock written all over her face and says "Why?, we don't do that here, we are just a nail salon, you will see it when you get your services." OK then. I waited and waited, ten minutes after my appointment time a lady approached me to let me know that she was running late and will be with me soon. This made me feel better about waiting. She asked me if I had chosen the pedicure/manicure I wanted. I replied, "I was hoping that you could tell me more about the different treatment options and answer a few questions that I have to help me decide." She handed me a menu and walked away (the menu was the exact same information as the website). I decided right then and there, OK no big deal, this is it; they are really just a nail salon. I'll just get my treatments and be done with it, I thought, but I was disappointed. Their website over promised and under delivered. The pedicure was fabulous but the facility, location and customer service was not up to par with the pedicure price or the image portrait in the website. Will I go back? Probably not.
Not giving up yet:
I find a Spa that is advertised as a Medical Spa even though they are a Day Spa that offers injectables as its only medical treatment. (I'm seeing more and more of those lately.) I know the Architect that designed it and the opening Spa Director (she is no longer there), they are both great professionals and I have high hopes. I was curious about this facility because it is in very close proximity to where we (Rome) will be located and I desperately needed a Facial. They are located within walking distance of my apartment so I decide to check them out without calling ahead. I walked in and was greeted with a "Good Afternoon", I asked to see a menu of services. The Front Desk agent was friendly but not informative. She did not try to find out what my purpose was or try to sell me treatments or products. I asked if she could show me the facilities and she stated, "Sorry, I'm the only one here and I cannot leave the Front Desk unattended, however you can sit and check the Menu and I can answer any questions you have." I started to feel hopeful; she sounded sincere. I inquired about the skin care line and their 'New Client Facial'. I expressed my concerns about the sensitivity of my skin and asked if they could/would do the facial using ONLY Phytomer (I was seated in the Retail/Front Desk area and I noticed they had Phytomer and Decleor skin care products.) She explained that the 'girls' have Phytomer in the rooms and she did not see a problem with that. I proceeded to book an appointment, (a credit card was requested to do so) and she explained the 24 hour cancellation policy. This was all done very efficiently and in a friendly tone. (Kudos) I tried asking questions about the products in retail and she had the opportunity to sell me more services but she made no attempts to do more than what she was being asked. She was pleasant, dressed in a clean uniform and very friendly.
Fast forward two days. I arrived 20 minutes prior to my schedule time (as instructed). I checked in and the Front Desk agent welcomes me (she is not the same lady from my previous visit). She asked me to fill out a client consultation form and offered me water. (Kudos) After I completed the document she escorted me to the Locker area (leaving the Front Desk unattended!). The locker had a robe and she gave me a Facial wrap and slippers. The slippers were old and tattered, the robe looked and felt old and thin but was clean. My technician picked me up on time (hurray, finally a service that started exactly when it was supposed to!). She stated that I was booked for a 60 minutes 'Personalized Facial'. I explained that I had booked the 70 minutes 'New Client Facial' with Phytomer products and explained my concern about my skin sensitivity. Her expression told me that she had not heard this information before. She did not have my consultation forms with her, nor did she do a client consultation prior to having me get on the treatment table. No skin analysis was performed, and she had to leave me alone in the room in the middle of the facial because she realized she did not have a particular product that she needed. The treatment only lasted 60 minutes. She directed me back to the locker area and said "Goodbye and thank you for coming today." I was charged for the 70 minutes treatment, which was $10 more than the one she actually performed. I decided to let it go because I didn't want to argue it with the Front Desk agent.
The price range was $$$$, the location ideal, all in a very clean and pleasant environment. The service however was an average experience. Given the price, the facilities, their advertisements and their website I expected an effort to make me a repeat client. They never used the consultation form information, inquired about my skincare goals and how they could help me accomplish them. During the treatment I provoked the possibility of an attempt to sell me products or more services with no results. I would probably try them again for a different service.
Conclusion:
Most of the negatives and issues from these experiences can be easily fixed with training, clear communication and guidelines. Supervision is essential to ensuring that the staff is doing things the way that you envisioned. During my visits, I have yet to find an active supervisor or manager on site, or around. Even when I've asked to speak to the Manager none is available. Are we becoming so burned-out in our duties that we no longer care about the consumer? Do we expect our staff to carry the business and the satisfaction of our customers without being there to assist, educate, lead and support? Do we truly care about our clients and team members?
I'm not giving up, there have to be places in Houston that care, that offer excellent customer service with excellent treatments in a consistent way. If you know of any, do send me an email with the recommendation.
Until then, my search for the perfect pampering and superior client care will continue.
Stay tuned.....
Written by Zahira J Coll, all rights reserved, the content of this article, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.








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